Split
by Angel1029
Summary: Grace is a fifteen-year-old growing up in 1904, Brooklyn. She isn't quite sure where her life will go, but she's willing to find out. DISCONTINUED If anyone wants to take it up, please PM me first. If not, it will just stay here.


**It's been a while since I've done this. I'm glad to be writing again!**

**I probably won't get all the facts right, so if you know of any that I can correct, please tell me. I own only the plot and all characters that do not appear in the movie.**

Grace looked at herself in the mirror. She saw a tan girl with long, wavy, brown hair and light green eyes. _No longer a child, but not yet a woman. At least, that is my opinion. _She ran the brush through her hair once more, making certain that it was tangle free and silky._ Mother tells me to act like a lady, yet that is not who I am. She says I'm a lady now, but I don't feel like one. She also says I'm too brown; that I must be paler like Anna…. Mother picks favorites._

"Ungh" She let out an un-ladylike groan and dropped her head. She raised it and left her brush on the vanity as she went to choose her outfit for the day. They had servants and maids that would help them choose their dress for the day, but Grace preferred to do it herself. She thought it was rather awkward when they offered to help. She pulled out a sky blue dress with short sleeves that was trimmed with brown satin ribbon. After she slipped into her clothes, she headed down the large staircase and walked into the dining room. In their family, everyone ate whenever they could except for supper. Breakfast and dinner were usually eaten alone.

Grace ate her meal and walked out into the Brooklyn streets. Her boots patted on the ground as she walked briskly along and her hair flew wildly behind her. Any parasol she had was left at home, and she let the sun's rays fall onto her face. She loved walking around and being outside and, although her parents tried, there was no way she was staying in. She loved the bustle of the crowds and the smell of the river; she was a perfect city girl. She waved politely to the people she knew and watched as a carriage rolled down her street, carrying four people and lots of luggage. Stopping at the end of the sidewalk, she stood for a minute and watched the people passing by. There was Mr. Thomas, the old man who lived by himself with his dog, Dane; that prissy lady was Ms. Alice Junpher, the rather bothersome woman who was always chasing after any single gentleman with money; the Kingsley triplets skipped by, all in matching green dresses, and Mrs. Darnsly, the kind, old woman who owns a shop in the more populated part of the city. The old woman never minded Grace and Anna visiting, she showed them around and even let them work, much to their parents' annoyance.

Grace had continued walking and was now by the Brooklyn Bridge and her favorite spot. She liked her place under the bridge where all noise disappeared. All she had to do was avoid the newsboys that hung around and slip by unseen. By now they knew her but she usually hid from them whenever she came to her favorite spot. She ducked behind some crates and beams, checked for newsboys, and dashed to her sanctuary. She sat, not bothering to smooth her skirts, pulled up her knees, and rested her chin of them. Her arms circled around her legs and she looked out at the water and to the other side.

Manhattan.

She had been there once; it was one of the best times of her life. She had gotten lost in the city and met a group of newsboys who took her to their lodging house. They were nicer than the Brooklyn boys, but they were still newsies. She was a ten-year-old girl amidst many, random aged, boys. While she had no problem with it, her mother was upset. Grace still liked them; they taught her a little about "sellin' papes" and how to defend yourself. They offered to tell her how to shoot a slingshot, but the Brooklyn boys had already showed her, much to her mother's and father's dismay.

Grace's thoughts were scattered and many, but most revolved around Manhattan, newsies, and her sister, Anna.

Anna was a sweet girl who had little in common with her sister. She liked sewing and riding sidesaddle, whereas Grace rode like a boy and hated to sit still. Anna was the epitome of perfect, her parents thought, while Grace was a hopeless cause. Grace didn't mind, really, she just would like a little more attention from her parents, who adored and spoiled Anna 'till she was almost rotten. Anyone else would have become an evil child after all the spoiling, but Anna was different. She rarely got mad, and when she did, it was over something _very_ serious. Even with all her 'perfect child' aura, she still was fun to be around. She would race with Grace, even if it was sidesaddle, be quite stubborn if she felt like it, and she was very much annoyed with how girls, children, and women were treated nowadays.

"Grace?"

Grace lifted her head to see her sister standing next to her. She smiled and patted the ground next to her.

"Out of school, huh?"

Anna nodded, "Mm-hmm"

"Thought so"

The two sat in silence for a minute, then looked up in surprise as the once bright sky let rain fall from the clouds. Grace stood up and offered her hand to her younger sister.

"Join me?"

Letting out excited giggles, the sisters ran out into the pouring rain.

"_What on earth-?"_

Anna and Grace looked at their wet boots sheepishly as they stood before Lydia, the maid who had worked for their family the longest and watched the girls grow up. Lydia looked at the dripping girls standing before her and sighed.

"Come on, we'd best get you two cleaned up before your parents show."

They looked at each other in dismay,

"Yes'm"

"Sure, Lydia"

The two girls waited at the table dressed in new, clean dresses and bright ribbons in their hair. Grace swung her legs back and forth impatiently and looked at the clock by the entrance once more. Anna, Grace could tell, was bored as well, but she was doing a better job of masking it than herself. They sat on the opposite sides of the table while their parents would sit at the ends. They had a bigger table and dining room for when guests were over, but this one only held four people, just enough for the family. This dining room was currently silent, except for Grace humming a tune and the old clock ticking away.

"-it's nothing to worry about. Don't worry. I'm sure that-"

"You continuously saying that won't make it any better and-"

"They'll come around; you'll see. Oh, girls, hello-um."

"Let's sit down and eat, shall we? And pay no mind to your father; he's just babbling."

Grace frowned, curious about what they were talking about, but Anna broke into her thoughts by mentioning the "lovely time she had at school today"

Supper was eaten and the family gathered by the fireplace. Mary, their mother, sat at the piano and decided to play a tune. The melody was a pretty one from Church, and Grace, the family singer, joined in.

"_Blessed be the Lord. Blessed be the Lord. The God of Mercy, the God Who saves; I shall not fear, the dark of night, nor the arrow, that flies by day_"

After the last verse was sung, the girls were sent to bed as their parents chatted between themselves for a few hours more.

Grace looked out her window, the one with the drapes open, and saw the moon shining down on her, casting a white glow in the room._ I wonder what they were talking about. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good._ Her thoughts kept her awake for a few hours before she finally drifted off to sleep.

**I don't think I'll be doing the accent like 'goil' for 'girl' when the newsies talk, but maybe… The next chapter will either be about Anna or Grace with the newsies. You can suggest which one you would prefer, or I'll just go with one of them. You suggesting or me writing; whichever comes first. **

**The hymn that is in italics is part of an actual song, so I do not, in any way, own that. Nope, not at all.**

**Hope you liked it!**

**-Angel1029**


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